SFI Program and Green Building

Environmentally responsible buildings are becoming increasingly mainstream. Green building is attracting consumer demand and being embraced by planners, designers, architects, builders and customers.

The choice of building materials has a huge impact on the environment. And wood’s inherent properties – as a sustainable, natural, recyclable, and renewable resource – make it an excellent environmental choice for any new construction or renovation, as long as it comes from a responsible source. As the largest single forest certification standard in the world, the SFI program is well positioned to meet the growing demand for certified products.

When compared to non-renewable products such as steel or concrete, wood’s outstanding environmental lifecycle characteristics, and desirable aesthetic and construction characteristics make it one of the most environmentally friendly and popular of building materials.

Overall, wood production consumes less energy, emits less greenhouse gases, releases fewer pollutants into the air and generates much less water pollution compared to steel and concrete. In addition, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow, sequestering and storing the carbon while producing oxygen – and this reduces greenhouse gases and improves air quality.

More and more buyers – including governments, businesses and individuals – are asking for wood products from responsible sources. SFI-certified products are recognized by many leading green building rating programs in the United States, Canada and overseas. These include residential programs such as the National Green Building Standard™ and commercial programs such as Green Globes.

• SFI Green Building Market Acceptance